Al Qaeda's Iraqi Breakout

Another good reason to keep Guantanamo open.

July 26, 2013 6:09 p.m. ET

In today's installment of distressing Middle East news, let's go to Iraq. The escape of senior al Qaeda leaders this week highlights the shakiness of the Iraqi state, the spread of sectarian violence and terrorism from Syria, and the cost of America's absence in the region.

Militants on Sunday night used suicide bombers, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades to blast their way into two prisons, including Abu Ghraib. By the time Iraqi security reinforcements arrived by helicopter and regained control of Abu Ghraib the next...